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    The IowaStater Restaurant

    2.8 (48 reviews)
    Closed • 6:30 am - 8:00 pm

    Order The IowaStater Restaurant Takeout or Delivery

    The IowaStater Restaurant Photos

    THE IOWASTATER RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    A plate of disappointment
    Joshua S.

    What a tremendous disappointment. I did research the night before and was actually excited about a made to order omelet station I read about. I woke up with a little excitement. But the day took a steep nosedive when we got there. The staff was fine, though it is a buffet and so not much interaction was had with them, but they were nice. The food was absolute gutter trash garbage. The eggs were cold, the potatoes were undercooked (hard in the middle) and soggy (I'm not sure how you get that combination, possibly under heated fryer grease) the meat was room temperature. All the components came out of a bag somewhere, nothing fresh nothing cooked by anyone with skills beyond that of a fast food employee. All that said, I have had the exact same breakfast buffet at a Holliday Inn for free! And I mean exactly the same, same waffle mix and skillets, same bag-o-eggs, same frozen sausage patty , all of it is identical to what they give away at better hotels. And the kicker..... the prices were way up from what I had read online. This disgusting breakfast set us back more than I would have paid at a really good diner. Oh, and I almost forgot, no omelet station. There was a sign that said I could order one for an up charge of ANOTHER $2 dollars over the $16.00 I was already paying. I may have said some expletives under my breath when I read that.

    Breakfast buffet $12.50 for adults
    Julie R.

    We went here Sunday and I had the breakfast buffet. I also tasted the caramel pecan French toast and it was ok. The buffet has the basics. Thick bacon(but flavorless), sausage patties, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, omelet bar(seen in pics), limited pastries, oatmeal,fruit, juices, coffee and make your own waffles, like at a hotel. $12.50 for adults. Full east facing windows show a beautiful nature scene. Clean. Friendly staff. Family friendly. Lot parking. Marcy'sDinerTantrumScale 5/5- NoScreamingKids. We will probably come back sometime. It was ok.

    French Toast
    Samantha C.

    We decided to try breakfast at the Iowa Stater this morning after hearing such good things about it. French toast was delicious, but tasted more like a dessert than a breakfast with the caramel sauce. Again, no side came with the meal so I ordered fruit with it for an extra charge. Coffee was luke warm when I had my first cup. I mentioned it to our waitress and after that it was warmer, but not hot like it was fresh. Breakfast quesadilla was good, not the best we've had. Also came without a side so we added hashbrowns, they were what you'd get at any breakfast chain. Service like last time was somewhat lacking in enthusiasm. I think this will be our last trip to the Iowa Stater, the food is good, but the vibe we get here is something we don't care to return to.

    Welcome to Ames!
    Ellen C.

    Whenever I'm in another state, I try to eat some of the local specialties. So when I saw that there was a restaurant named the IowaStater that offered an appetizer named the Iowa Slate, I had to give it a try. The slate was a nice charcuterie plate that featured prosciutto, glazed bacon, white cheddar, herbed cheese curds, and a do-it-yourself bruschetta. A bit pricey at $16, but the Prairie Breeze cheddar had a nice salty kick, and I could eat that sweet-savory Slater bacon all day. (A plate of THAT, please!) They had some Iowa-produced beer, wine, and liquor, but the waitress told me the Iowa red was sweet, so I just got a California pinot noir to go with my charcuterie. Pretty good pour, and reasonable at $8. The restaurant itself is hidden away in a hotel-convention center complex. But it's worth seeking it out if you want to try some Iowa-produced fare and you're looking for a bit more than corn and pork tenderloin.

    Pork Tenderloin.

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    3 years ago

    No idea if the food is good or not. After waiting over an hour and a half for our food, we cancelled our order and left

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    16 years ago

    Not a big selection. Soup was good. Salad was okay. A bit pricey for cup of soup and side salad. The service is great though.

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    Dublin Bay Irish Pub & Grill - Lamb burger & Brussels sprout

    Dublin Bay Irish Pub & Grill

    4.2(235 reviews)
    1.5 mi
    •$$

    Very cute pub. I had the Shepards pie and the Brussel sprouts for my side. It was absolutely…read morefantastic. I have never had Brussel sprouts made that were perfection as they were here! The Irish soda bread was a definite must try also. We also had the crab cakes that came with enough greens that basically made it a salad. The crabs cakes were also very good. They had a huge selection of tap beers that would satisfy just about any palate. We were very satisfied with our experience. If we lived in the area this restaurant would be on my rotation of favorite regular places to go.

    We stopped in for dinner before an event at Stevens auditorium. We were seated right away and got…read moreour orders in. It's a very relaxing Irish pub vibe with a variety of seating options and lots of TVs. Our drinks came out quickly and the food followed shortly thereafter. I got a martini and it was very well prepared. My wife got a glass of wine from their decent wine list. For dinner, I had the lamb burger, which was quite tasty. It was a good combination of flavors and the fries were hot and crisp. My wife got a naked burger with a side salad. The creamy Parmesan was very tasty and it was a nice bed of greens. A table next to us had some sort of a problem with one of the dinners and the server tried many many times to get the customer to order a replacement, but he said he was OK with what he got. When she brought the check to them she made sure to take that off since he did not eat it and would not accept a replacement. They seem shocked at this, but I wondered why they just didn't get a replacement! Great service by that server. She was also our server and did a fantastic job with us. We had very tasty food and great drinks , so I would definitely recommend it and would go back if I was in the area.

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    Dublin Bay Irish Pub & Grill - Waiting area

    Waiting area

    Dublin Bay Irish Pub & Grill
    Dublin Bay Irish Pub & Grill

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    Sweet Caroline’s Kitchen & Cocktails - Buffalo and garlic parmesan traditional wings, yes! Get these.

    Sweet Caroline’s Kitchen & Cocktails

    3.2(79 reviews)
    2.2 mi
    •$$

    Ambiance for the wings. Great vibe!! Service is wonderful. Large drink menu but geared toward young…read morecrowd- there is a whole page of mule options. The fried chicken was ok, a bit too bread and greasy. Chicken quality was fair 3 out of 5. The burgers were great 4 out of 5. The traditional wings were a 5 out of 5. So. Order a Beer (or mule) with wings and you are good to go!!

    We were so excited to try this place for lunch- we'd heard good things. We were greeted and seated…read moreright away and it was very warm & friendly. Our drink order was taken immediately. We waited over 45 minutes for our food order to be taken. We were so annoyed and hungry! The point at which it was taken was only because I finally called out to our server and asked her if she could please take the order. Our party of four was on the verge of walking out. The food was brought quickly and was very good! The cessation salad was delicious and the BLT was loaded with bacon! They have an excellent bacon game! The shrimp po boy was executed very well! The bacon blu cheese burger was a bit of a miss- way too many raw onions and so much blu cheese sauce that it made picking it up to eat impossible and tasting anything but the dressing difficult. Once I used a fork and pulled out the hamburger patty, I can say it was cooked well. The winner was the sweet & sour bbq wings hands down!!! We needed a tub of that sauce! We had leftovers and were never offered a box. Some serious training and education in customer service is needed here for this place to see us stop in again. We may order the wings to go but that's about it. It's too bad.

    Photos
    Sweet Caroline’s Kitchen & Cocktails - Bacon Blu Cheese Burger with Cesar Caesar Salad

    Bacon Blu Cheese Burger with Cesar Caesar Salad

    Sweet Caroline’s Kitchen & Cocktails - Loaded tots were delicious!

    Loaded tots were delicious!

    Sweet Caroline’s Kitchen & Cocktails - Totchos

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    Totchos

    The IowaStater Restaurant - breakfast_brunch - Updated September 2026

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